Easy
by bonusvampirus
Summary: Hermione and Tosh talk about their relationship after Hermione saves Tosh's life.


Title: Easy  
Summary: Hermione and Tosh talk about their relationship after Hermione saves Tosh's life.  
Rating: M for sexual implications  
Word Count: 1006  
Other Chapters: "A Bit Much" and "Trouble" are highly recommended reading.  
Disclaimer: The British Broadcasting Corporation owns Torchwood and all related characters, settings, and trademarks. I do not profit in any way from this material. Harry Potter and all related trademarks belong to J.K. Rowling. I do not in any way profit from the use of these trademarks.  
Pairings: Toshiko Sato/Hermione Granger  
Contains: character-death fix, open relationships, strap-ons, vague references to abortion  
Warnings: destruction of canon romances

* * *

Tosh's flat was quiet. Tosh's _head_ was quiet. She and Owen should have died that day, but everything was quiet, in that _easy_ way that things get quiet right when you start daring to hope that everything will work out.

Tosh felt bushy curls on her shoulder and turned her head slightly to kiss Hermione's forehead. "Everything's going to change now, you know," Tosh said happily. "Jack can't hate you anymore. Not after what you did today."

Hermione shook her head. "It was easy. A simple regenerating charm for your blood and organs and a time-turner for Owen. Any decent witch could have done it."

"But _you_ did," Tosh whispered. "That's what matters. We'd be dead without you."

"Shhhh," Hermione said. "You're fine now. I'm just glad I could help. As soon as I heard about the explosions in Cardiff, I knew I had to get over here to see if you needed me."

"We did," Tosh said. "Jack will kiss you the next time he sees you."

"He didn't look ready to kiss me when I left." Hermione pressed her fingers into Tosh's palm, and Tosh took her hand. "He wouldn't look at me at all."

"Because he still wanted to hate you and think you were bad for me, and he couldn't anymore." Tosh draped her other arm over Hermione and pulled Hermione close. "We don't need Jack's approval, but it'll be easier to have it."

Hermione laughed a little. "He's like your father, and I'm some trouble-maker that'll be never be good enough for his little girl."

Tosh shook her head. "Jack is so much worse than my father ever was." They both laughed slightly. "I think my father would like you, once he got over you being..."

"A witch?" Hermione offered.

Tosh smirked. "I was going to say 'a woman,' but the witch part would probably be a nasty shock too. As would the fact that you're married, come to think of it." Tosh fingered Hermione's wedding ring.

Hermione pulled her hand away, briefly, just enough to communicate with Tosh that she didn't want Tosh doing that, then she slipped her hand back into Tosh's. "Things aren't getting any better between me and him. Romantically, anyway. We have been better since I started sleeping in the guest bedroom." Hermione sighed. "His sister actually commented the other day that we seem happier than we've been in ages. She doesn't know about our little arrangement... And it just proved it to us. We're better off as friends. We're happier, we get along better, and even Rose seems happier these days, now that she doesn't have to listen to her parents fighting all the time..."

"Are you filing for a divorce, then?"

Hermione shut her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths in sync with Tosh. "Do you think I should?"

What was she asking? What was she _really_ asking? "I love you," Tosh said. "I've never felt as safe with anyone as I feel with you. It's never been this_easy_ with anyone else. If you wanted to leave him, you could stay with me."

"I love you too," Hermione whispered. Tosh felt the 'but' before she said it. "But I loved him too, once. It was easy with him, once. And then the next thing I knew, I was curled up in my daughters room crying, staring down at my baby-bump and wondering how much I really wanted to bring another child into this mess." She sighed. "Things with Ron are finally in a place that I'm happy with, and that he's happy with. I don't want to upset that right now, and I _really_ don't want to rush into anything else. But I love you. You have to know that I love you."

Tosh swallowed a lump in her throat and squeezed Hermione's hand. "I know that. And that's fine. I just thought that maybe..."

"I know," Hermione said. She looked up at Tosh and smiled. "I want a future with you. I really do. You're wonderful and my kids love you and _I_ love you, and I know that we could have an amazing life together. But... not until we're ready."

"Alright," Tosh said. She got up onto her elbows, leaned over Hermione, and kissed Hermione on the lips. "Thanks to you, I have all the time in the world."

Hermione smiled.

"You're like my personal knight in shining armour," Tosh said, smirking at Hermione.

Hermione smirked back. "And I'll do anything to protect my beautiful princess when she's in distress..." She picked her wand up off of Tosh's night stand, with a slight flourish of it, Hermione's robes wrapped themselves tightly around her body and morphed into a glistening metal bodysuit and though it it looked for all the world like shining armour, it didn't seem to in any way restrict Hermione's movement, and Tosh was sure she'd have no more difficulty pulling it off than she'd have removing a tracksuit. Another flick of Hermione's wand, this one in Tosh's direction, and Tosh's nightgown lengthened and transformed around her into a deep-purple dress that looked like it belonged in Tudor England, though she felt far more naked beneath it than she believed any Tudor woman had ever been. Tosh looked down at herself and blushed, then looked back up at Hermione to find her grinning.

Slowly, Tosh's face split into a grin of her own, though she wasn't sure her blush faded any. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Perfect," Hermione said, shifting her weight onto her left hand and moving forward to grab Tosh's chin with her right hand and kiss Tosh.

"The strap-on is in the lower drawer," Tosh said breathlessly.

"Already taken care of," Hermione assured her.

Tosh's eyes travelled down to Hermione's trousers, but they gave nothing away. "That wand of yours can do some pretty amazing tricks, can't it?" Tosh asked.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Hermione told her.


End file.
